Medievalists.net » Environmental http://www.medievalists.net Where the Middle Ages Begin Sun, 06 Dec 2015 19:35:15 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.9.9 ‘The Worst Disaster Suffered by the People of Scotland in Recorded History’: Climate Change, Dearth and Pathogens in the Long Fourteenth Century http://www.medievalists.net/2015/12/06/the-worst-disaster-suffered-by-the-people-of-scotland-in-recorded-history-climate-change-dearth-and-pathogens-in-the-long-fourteenth-century/ http://www.medievalists.net/2015/12/06/the-worst-disaster-suffered-by-the-people-of-scotland-in-recorded-history-climate-change-dearth-and-pathogens-in-the-long-fourteenth-century/#comments Sun, 06 Dec 2015 06:48:57 +0000 http://www.medievalists.net/?p=63053 It is not the aim of this essay to provide an environmental history of medieval Scotland or even just of the fourteenth century in Scotland; that is a much larger task than can be addressed here. Rather, the intention is to explore the nature of the evidence that is available within the documentary record and place it alongside the various forms of proxy data for climate history to produce a synthetic narrative.

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]]> http://www.medievalists.net/2015/12/06/the-worst-disaster-suffered-by-the-people-of-scotland-in-recorded-history-climate-change-dearth-and-pathogens-in-the-long-fourteenth-century/feed/ 0 Of Wilderness, Forest, and Garden: An Eco-Theory of Genre in Middle English Literature http://www.medievalists.net/2015/12/05/of-wilderness-forest-and-garden-an-eco-theory-of-genre-in-middle-english-literature/ http://www.medievalists.net/2015/12/05/of-wilderness-forest-and-garden-an-eco-theory-of-genre-in-middle-english-literature/#comments Sat, 05 Dec 2015 05:42:54 +0000 http://www.medievalists.net/?p=63010 I posit that the components of the environment play a role in the deployment of the narrative by shaping the characters and influencing the action.

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]]> http://www.medievalists.net/2015/12/05/of-wilderness-forest-and-garden-an-eco-theory-of-genre-in-middle-english-literature/feed/ 0 The Power of Poo: Waste and the Medieval Environment http://www.medievalists.net/2015/10/20/the-power-of-poo-waste-and-the-medieval-environment/ http://www.medievalists.net/2015/10/20/the-power-of-poo-waste-and-the-medieval-environment/#comments Tue, 20 Oct 2015 22:26:33 +0000 http://www.medievalists.net/?p=61899 This study will compare the ways in which three vastly different European cities and their civic institutions, London England - the Chartered Capital of a Kingdom, Siena Italy - an Oligarchic Republic, and Gdansk Poland - the reluctant territory of a Theocratic state

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]]> http://www.medievalists.net/2015/10/20/the-power-of-poo-waste-and-the-medieval-environment/feed/ 0 A Medieval Weather Report http://www.medievalists.net/2015/09/14/a-medieval-weather-report/ http://www.medievalists.net/2015/09/14/a-medieval-weather-report/#comments Mon, 14 Sep 2015 06:11:58 +0000 http://www.medievalists.net/?p=61053 What was England's weather like 746 years ago?

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]]> http://www.medievalists.net/2015/09/14/a-medieval-weather-report/feed/ 0 Arthur Pendragon, Eco-Warrior http://www.medievalists.net/2015/09/06/arthur-pendragon-eco-warrior/ http://www.medievalists.net/2015/09/06/arthur-pendragon-eco-warrior/#comments Sun, 06 Sep 2015 13:30:23 +0000 http://www.medievalists.net/?p=60886 This essay explores the environmental agendas and ambitions that motivate John Timothy Rothwell, 'a mad biker chieftain wielding an axe,' who, claiming to be a 'post-Thatcher' King Arthur,

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]]> http://www.medievalists.net/2015/09/06/arthur-pendragon-eco-warrior/feed/ 0 Medievalist helps scientists rewrite climate records http://www.medievalists.net/2015/07/09/medievalist-helps-scientists-rewrite-climate-records/ http://www.medievalists.net/2015/07/09/medievalist-helps-scientists-rewrite-climate-records/#comments Thu, 09 Jul 2015 16:47:20 +0000 http://www.medievalists.net/?p=59527 In a paper published in the world-leading scientific journal, Nature, Dr Conor Kostick’s research into medieval evidence for climate events has allowed scientists to pinpoint the exact relationship between historical volcanic activity and severe winters.

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]]> http://www.medievalists.net/2015/07/09/medievalist-helps-scientists-rewrite-climate-records/feed/ 0 Explaining Extreme Weather in the Middle Ages http://www.medievalists.net/2015/07/08/explaining-extreme-weather-in-the-middle-ages/ http://www.medievalists.net/2015/07/08/explaining-extreme-weather-in-the-middle-ages/#comments Thu, 09 Jul 2015 02:41:39 +0000 http://www.medievalists.net/?p=59501 What was causing extreme weather in the Middle Ages? A medieval historian is starting to examine how chroniclers and writers from this period were turning to the night sky to better understand and perhaps prevent natural disasters.

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]]> http://www.medievalists.net/2015/07/08/explaining-extreme-weather-in-the-middle-ages/feed/ 0 Avalanches in the Middle Ages http://www.medievalists.net/2015/07/06/avalanches-in-the-middle-ages/ http://www.medievalists.net/2015/07/06/avalanches-in-the-middle-ages/#comments Mon, 06 Jul 2015 19:39:20 +0000 http://www.medievalists.net/?p=59450 One of the dangers a medieval traveller might face when crossing through mountainous terrain is the threat of avalanches.

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]]> http://www.medievalists.net/2015/07/06/avalanches-in-the-middle-ages/feed/ 0 Trees in the Middle Ages http://www.medievalists.net/2015/06/14/trees-in-the-middle-ages/ http://www.medievalists.net/2015/06/14/trees-in-the-middle-ages/#comments Sun, 14 Jun 2015 18:48:07 +0000 http://www.medievalists.net/?p=58944 What did medieval people think of trees? Here are a few observations about the role trees played in the spiritual and cultural life of the Middle Ages.

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]]> http://www.medievalists.net/2015/06/14/trees-in-the-middle-ages/feed/ 0 Ore, Fire, Hammer, Sickle: Iron Production in Viking Age and Early Medieval Iceland http://www.medievalists.net/2015/05/06/ore-fire-hammer-sickle-iron-production-in-viking-age-and-early-medieval-iceland/ http://www.medievalists.net/2015/05/06/ore-fire-hammer-sickle-iron-production-in-viking-age-and-early-medieval-iceland/#comments Wed, 06 May 2015 22:15:05 +0000 http://www.medievalists.net/?p=58092 Iron production may be used as a window through which to view, in part, the economic structure of Icelandic society during the Viking Age (c. AD 870-1000) and Early Medieval (AD 1000-1264) periods.

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